Featured Recipe Magic Snowman Stew

SNOWMAN PARTY STEW

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Remove 24 peas and one carrot chunk from the stew vegetables; set aside. Add the remaining vegetables to beef. Cook until vegetables are thawed. Add gravy; mix well. , Pour into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Top with eight mashed potato snowmen, using 1 tablespoon of potatoes for each head and 3 tablespoons for each body. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. , Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, cut the reserved carrot into eight strips. Insert one strip into each snowman for a nose. Place three reserved peas on each for buttons. Add peppercorns for eyes. Drizzle ketchup between head and body to form a scarf.

ORANGE SNOWMAN

Steps:

• In a blender, combine orange juice concentrate, milk, water, sugar, vanilla and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

M&M'S SNOWMAN

Steps:

• Beat three 8-ounce packages cream cheese and 1 stick butter (both at room temperature) with a mixer until creamy. Beat in 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Divide into 3 balls (large, medium and small) and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours, then roll in unsweetened shredded coconut and stack the snowman. Add brown mini M&M'S for the eyes, mouth and buttons, and red and green M&M'S for the nose and scarf (attach with icing, if necessary). Add pretzel arms. Serve with fruit or cookies.

MAGIC STEW

Steps:

• Line pan with oubrowned meat.
• Add vegetables.
• Sprinkle with salt pepper sugar and tapioca.
• Add juice cover with foil.
• Cook at 300 degrees for 4 hours.

SWEET SNOWMAN

Steps:

• Place 1 teaspoon vanilla frosting on top of each Sno Ball. Stack Sno Balls on a serving plate on top of each other to form the snowman. Cut skewers slightly shorter than the height the of snowman; insert through the center of Sno Balls to secure them. Place chocolate wafer on top to form hat brim. Place a dollop of frosting on top of one sandwich cookie; top with other cookie. Attach to wafer with frosting to create the hat. Carefully tie licorice around snowman for a scarf. Use frosting to attach M&M's for eyes, candy corn for nose, miniature chips for mouth and semisweet chips for buttons. Dust confectioners' sugar around base of snowman if desired.

FEATURED RECIPE: MAGIC SNOWMAN STEW

Steps:

• Print out the Magic Snowman Stew PDF and cut out the poem and the individual labels. Put each item included into the Snowman Stew into their own separate bag and tie them with curling ribbon. Place a small dot of hot glue onto the back of each label and glue it to each item it corresponds with. Link to PDF: Magic Snowman Stew

MOUNTAIN MAN STEW

Steps:

• In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, cook bell pepper, onion, carrots and mushrooms in butter, until onion is translucent. Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and beef. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are softened and meat is browned, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, place potatoes in a 2-quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 15 minutes. Drain and stir potatoes into vegetable mixture.
• Pour 1 1/2 quarts water into the 2-quart saucepan and dissolve the bouillon in the water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
• In a large mixing bowl or stock pot, carefully combine broth and vegetable mixture until well combined. Serve hot.

FEATURED RECIPE: TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Mix the cream cheese, beef, olives, onion, and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl until evenly blended. Keeping the mixture in the bowl, scrape it into a semi-ball shape. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Place a large sheet of waxed paper on a flat surface. Sprinkle with walnuts. Roll the cheese ball in the walnuts until completely covered. Transfer the cheese ball to a serving plate, or rewrap with waxed paper and refrigerate until needed.

SNOWMAN PARTY STEW

Steps:

• In a skillet, brown beef; drain. Remove 24 peas and one carrot chunk from the stew vegetables; set aside. Add the remaining vegetables to beef. Cook until vegetables are thawed. Add gravy; mix well. Pour into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Top with eight mashed potato snowmen, using 1 tablespoon of potatoes for each head and 3 tablespoons for each body. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, cut the reserved carrot into eight strips. Insert one strip into each snowman for a nose. Place three reserved peas on each for buttons. Add peppercorns for eyes. Drizzle ketchup between head and body to form a scarf.

SNOWMAN PARTY STEW

Steps:

• In a skillet, brown beef; drain. Remove 24 peas and one carrot chunk from the stew vegetables; set aside. Add the remaining vegetables to beef. Cook until vegetables are thawed. Add gravy; mix well. Pour into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Top with eight mashed potato snowmen, using 1 tablespoon of potatoes for each head and 3 tablespoons for each body. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, cut the reserved carrot into eight strips. Insert one strip into each snowman for a nose. Place three reserved peas on each for buttons. Add peppercorns for eyes. Drizzle ketchup between head and body to form a scarf.

MELTED SNOWMAN COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat white sugar, baking powder, and salt into butter until just combined. Beat egg, milk, and vanilla extract into butter-sugar mixture; add flour and mix until dough is just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is slightly chilled, about 10 minutes.
• Scoop dough into balls slightly larger than golf balls; flatten into cookies. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• Butter a microwave-safe plate. Place marshmallows on the prepared plate.
• Microwave marshmallows until slightly puffed, 10 to 15 seconds. Gently press marshmallows until bottoms slightly ooze.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and water together in a bowl until icing is slightly thicker than drizzle-consistency. Pour icing over cookies so it runs over the edges, reserving about 1 tablespoon.
• Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag with a small tip or a plastic bag with a corner snipped.
• Press 1 marshmallow close to an edge of each cookie to be the snowman's head. Draw 'stick arms' onto the icing using the melted chocolate.
• Divide the reserved 1 tablespoon icing into 2 small bowls. Mix red food coloring into 1 of the bowls and orange food coloring into the other bowl. Decorate the snowmen with scarves or ties using the red icing and yellow icing.